A Quick & Healthy Breakfast!!!

I have always love cooking but the worst part of the whole process is deciding what to cook especially when it comes to breakfast. Though we have various options to cook but time is something which we are always short of. So here I come with a recipe of a quick and very healthy breakfast.

Ingredients

Serves two people

Cooking & Preparation time 15-20 mins

Half bowl Yellow Moong ki dal (as in pic)

1 drop of oil

1 teaspoon Jeera

A pinch of Asafoetida (hing)

Garam Masala Powder (to taste)

Salt to taste.

For Garnishing

1 small onion - Chopped finely

1 small tomato - Chopped finely

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Chopped Green Chilly’s (to taste)

1 teaspoon chopped green coriander leaves

1/4th cucumber (optional)

Wash the Moong ki dal thoroughly and drain the water out. Put the vessel on the gas, put the oil & add the Jeera, heeng & garam masala to it. As the jeera starts spluttering add the washed Moong ki dal and salt to taste.

Add water & the quantity should be such that it covers the daal, as the water comes to a boil slow down the gas, cover the vessel but remember to leave half an inch space open & let the daal cook. After some 10 mins check the state of water & daal; in case you feel that daal is not cooked you can add a bit of water. It would take some 15 mins for the thing to get cooked. Once that it is done switch off the gas and let the thing cool down. You need to remember that too much water spoils the whole thing and gives it a look of khicdhi so be cautious on that front.

Serve the daal and garnish it with onion, tomato, chilly, coriander & lemon juice. You can even add some namkeen to add taste to it!

Alternatively you can also soak the daal for half an hour but then when you cook it would need less water.

This is my favorite breakfast for the days when I am in a hurry, the fact that it is healthy is an added advantage!

Sabudana khichdi

As a kid, I used to wait avidly for fasting day - for Maharashtrian fasts we load up on starches and peanuts and the food is mouthwateringly delicious!! One of the staples of the fast is the sabudana (sago/tapioca pearl) khichdi. Nowadays I dont need any excuses, I make it whenever I need some quick and easy comfort food.

Soaking the sabudana pearls
This is perhaps the most labour intensive part of the entire process and the soaking can make or break your khichdi. Too much water results in a mushy mess which will cleave to your palate and under-soaking (and then cooking it because you are too tired and hungry to think of anything else) will result in either a couple of teeth missing or a rubberized mess .... so pay attention here.

Different types of sabudana require different times for soaking. In maharashtra you get the absolute freshest pearls which take 2-3 hours to soak. The ones available to me here require 8 hours and more. You'll have to do some trial and error. To figure out when the pearls are soaked perfectly - squeeze ONE pearl gently between thumb and forefinger, if it's squishy and gets back it's shape like elastic without any hard parts then it's done, if it is completely squished to powder then it's over soaked. Repeat for a few more pearls - sometimes you find that one is done, others are still hard at the center. In this case, let them soak for some more time - patience is your friend here.

What works for me - I take the pearls in a sieve, rinse them in running water for about 2-3 minutes (if not using a sieve, rinse then drain), then cover and keep aside. Before covering, I take a handful of water and sprinkle on top. From time to time, I uncover and stir the pearls, if they feel dryish I sprinkle a couple handfuls of water. Do this until the soak test above is succesful.

Sabudana Khichdi
You can add chopped parboiled potatoes after the green chillies in step 1 below, fry until they cook well, then add the sabudana. I skip this since I hate potato in my khichdi but this is the traditional way. Also the amount of peanut powder is conservative, you can certainly go crazy!! All the cup measurements below are actually teacup instead of the standard cup. 1 teacup = 120 ml.

Ingredients
2 cups sabudana, soaked
1 and a half cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, ground to a chunky peanut powder
5/6 green chillies - finely sliced (I like heat, adjust yours accordingly)
cumin seeds
half tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
juice of 1 lemon
large handful of chopped coriander leaves

Method
Heat oil in a vessel on high heat. Add the cumin seeds, when they start sputtering, add green chillies and fry them for a bit.

Add the sabudana, peanut powder, salt and sugar. Reduce heat to medium and let it cook. Contrary to the patience it required before to soak the sabudana, you cant leave this alone for even a minute - it WILL burn! What I do is I cover for half a minute, then uncover and give it a stir and so on until the pearls are steamed through. When they start looking transluscent instead of the milky hue earlier you know they're done. Alternatively, just chew on them. It doesnt take long, I give them about 3-4 stirs and the khichdi is done.

Squeeze half the lemon and add more according to your taste. Check your salt seasoning.

Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve hot with a cup of thick yogurt as accompaniment.

Vegetable Idli

Tired of waiting for the normal idli batter to ferment, I once attempted this variation of idli for dinner. First time it didn't click (reason given below), but thereafter everytime I prepare this, its a hit.

Ingredients :-

Sooji - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Carrots - 2
Peas - 100 gm
Beans - 100 gm
Broken cashewnuts - few
Curd - 2 cups
Salt - as reqd.
Green chillis - 2
Hing - little

Method :-
If you have roasted sooji/rava well and good, otherwise roast the sooji in little ghee for about a minute and let it cool in a bowl. Add salt, hing and then add curd little by little, till you reach the required consistency. (i.e.a little bit thicker one than the usual idli batter). Cut the green chillis into small pices and add it. (Alternatively, slit the green chillis longitudinally and add them. This could be removed before you set the cooker-I personally prefer this, as you don't have to struggle with the chilli pieces in your mouth). Set aside the batter for about an hour. In the meantime, grate the carrots and chop the green beans into tiny pieces. Fry the broken cashews in ghee. Add the cut vegetables and cashewnuts to the batter and place them in greased idli plates. Idlis could be cooked in the pressure cooker for 15-20 minutes until they are soft enough.

This tiffin is not just tasty, but has a nice aroma.

Tastes best with tomato chutney.

ps:Do not be tempted to add the veggies earlier on to the batter. To know why, read second line from above. Grated carrot oozes out the juice and spoils the whole process.

Bread Poha

Though I love cooking but every now and then I get bucked up when am short of choices for breakfast. And in such times Bread Poha comes as a savior.

It comes with twin benefits, as in it is easy to make and it also polishes off the uff so boring old bread in a whiff.

Here is the recipe for Bread Poha/ Upma

Ingredients
Bread Slices – 6-7 (preferably a day or two old)
1 Teaspoon Oil
Rai (Mustard Seeds) – ½ teaspoon
Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta) – 4-5
Onion – 1 (finely cut)
Potato – 1 (Cut into small pieces)
Tomato – 1 (Cut into small pieces)
Green Chilly – 1-2 (Cut into small pieces)
Salt as per taste
Red Chilly Powder as per taste
Lemon Juice – 1 teaspoon

Take out the bread from refrigerator and let it be for ½ an hour.
Cut off the thick sides of the bread and taking them two at a time rub them against each other making a fine powder of it. (As in pic)

Heat the pan; put the curry leaves & rai after 3-4 seconds put the onions. Once the onions are semi transparent put the potato and cover the pan.

Once the potato is cooked add the tomato & green chilly and let them cook.

After all the veggies are cooked add the refined bread and all the spices. Sprinkle a little water on it and cover it with pan for 5 mins. Open the pan after 5 mins, sprinkle the lemon juice & a little bit of sugar. Cook it for few more min
utes and it is ready to be served.


Peas can be added if available & the dish can be garnished with coriander leaves.

It takes just 15 mins to cook the whole thing and it tastes very good. I have been using brown bread to make it and it only makes it healthier.